


bend your chest open so i can reach your heart

by aisu10



Category: Chronicle (2012)
Genre: Cardiophilia, Friendship, Gen, Heartbeat Kink, Heartbeats, JUST GUYS BEIN DUDES, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Platonic Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 04:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9054733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aisu10/pseuds/aisu10
Summary: in which the fight for a pringle ends in steve lying on top of andrew and listening to his heartbeat.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [plasticpumpkins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plasticpumpkins/gifts).



> this is sort of a sequel to an older fic of mine with the same theme, ["if you could take my pulse right now,"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2714078) written for tate (bottompotter) who's been BEGGING for more of it for a long time. ;) merry christmas u thirsty hoe

andrew never imagined, when he first opened his can of pringles, that he'd end up lying flat on his back on steve's bed with steve himself on top of him. but when a fight for the last chip (which incidentally has ended up _under_ the bed they're lying on) turns _violent,_ that's exactly where he finds himself. steve's chin is resting on his sternum and andrew can feel his friend’s ribcage still shaking with laughter against his stomach, despite the fact that his own laughter ceased abruptly the moment steve flopped down on top of him. steve is looking up at him with bright eyes crinkled at the corners and a huge grin, but andrew refuses to meet his amused gaze. he looks instead at the camera floating nearby, trying not to think about how much of steve's body is pressed against his own and vise-versa. he hears steve's giggles trailing off after a moment, only to be replaced by a soft murmur of:   
  
"i can feel your heartbeat again."   
  
heat flashes in the delicate veins beneath the skin of andrew's cheeks and his gaze snaps downward just in time to watch steve turn his head and bury his ear in the shallow dip at the center of his chest, a serene smile settling on his lips as he does so. the comment combined with this affectionate action and their bodies' prolonged, extensive closeness is _a lot,_ and before things can go any further, andrew decides that he's had enough.   
  
"okay, _get off --"_   
  
embarrassed and overwhelmed, andrew tries to squirm out from underneath steve, but the other boy is stronger, heavier, and apparently has had a weird fascination with andrew's heartbeat ever since he accidentally _copped a feel of it_ while they were hanging out a few weeks ago. after what happened with the _redneck asshole_ he doesn't have the nerve to use telekinesis on him to push him off, so he grudgingly resigns to his fate -- at least for the moment -- and pouts silently as steve snuggles his head into him like a pillow. he tries to ignore what's happening, but the crushing warmth of steve's body atop his and the fact that he can feel his heart thudding distractingly against his friend's cheekbone doesn't help at all to keep his mind off the situation. he counts out nearly twenty beats before steve speaks again.   
  
"i feel like i've heard it before."   
  
andrew rolls his eyes.   
  
"yeah, you _have._ during the movie."   
  
steve shakes his head as best he can while it's pressed to andrew's chest, essentially just rubbing his cheek against the fabric of his shirt.   
  
"no, no, i mean -- _yeah,_ that's when i heard it _first,_ but i'm talking about -- _after_ that..."   
  
andrew stares down at him quizzically, silently pressuring him to explain his nonsensical statement. steve catches his suspicious glare and averts his gaze, almost as if he's _shy_ about what he's about to say. that gets andrew even more nervous -- steve, _shy?_ since _when?_ after a moment of contemplation, the boy on his chest speaks up to admit:   
  
"...i just feel like i've been hearing it in my _head_ sometimes, you know? and, when i do, it's usually going real fast, like -- like it is now."   
  
he throws a toothy grin up at andrew, whose blush immediately spreads across his cheeks to redden the tips of his ears. it's just too much for him to handle elegantly -- steve literally pinning him to the bed while practically _gushing_ about the sound of his heart has him totally mortified. he's not used to this, this _sincerity,_ this -- whatever it is. by now matt probably would have turned the whole thing into a joke or a jab and he'd be wrestling him off, but, just as before, steve seems to be genuinely captivated by the rhythm in andrew's chest. all andrew can settle on doing is shrugging against the pillows and muttering,   
  
"...maybe it's a telekinesis thing."   
  
steve's brows raise as he fishes for andrew's gaze again, and catches the slight acceleration of his pulse that occurs the moment their eyes meet. his smile spreads gleefully and he asks:   
  
"am _i_ doing that to you?"   
  
heart thumping incriminatingly faster underneath steve's ear, andrew's lips twist into a deep frown.   
  
"no, i'm just --"   
  
"don't try and tell me you're thinking about _anime girls_ right now, dude. not with _steve montgomery_ lying on top of you."   
  
andrew scoffs, but is too busy gripping at the sheets to give steve the shove in the shoulder he deserves. instead he tries to regulate his breathing and force his heartbeat to slow, just to prove steve wrong. of course, it doesn't work in the slightest, and steve grins as he listens to the beat skip and stutter as it fails to find an even tempo. he taps his finger on andrew's ribs and says smugly:   
  
"that is _all me."_   
  
"shut up, dude."   
  
it's practically a grumble, a _groan_ as andrew slumps deeper into the pillows behind him. steve starts to move, and andrew thinks for one moment he'll be freed from his prison beneath him before he settles back down, having only repositioned himself to be more comfortable. his ear still lies on andrew's chest, but he's a little higher up now, so his brow rests on the ridge of his collarbone. andrew becomes acutely aware of the feeling of their stomachs pressing against each other each time they inhale, and the tremor of his own pulse that becomes palpable with each exhale, and the sensation causes his blush to intensify. steve can obviously feel it all, too -- the warmth radiating from his face and neck, the staccato rhythm of his heart, the shuddering of his lungs as they try to match their movements with steve's -- and after a minute or so he asks:   
  
"are you _always_ this nervous around me?"   
  
andrew's taut lips form a disgruntled frown and he mumbles, face _smoldering_ , "well, you're usually not _snuggling with me."_   
  
steve frowns back, but his gaze is gentle, not upset but concerned. "do you really want me to get off?"   
  
andrew takes one look at his big puppy dog eyes and heaves an irritated sigh that lifts steve up and down upon his rising chest. _"no,_ it's okay..."   
  
though he'll never admit it aloud, he's kind of starting to enjoy the simple closeness, even though it makes him feel all kinds of vulnerable. maybe it's the intimacy of it that scares him; the fear that, with his ear to his chest, steve can decipher the language of his heart and find out how he's really feeling, even when his words contradict it. his racing heartbeat feels like a betrayal of the complex inner world he'd rather keep hidden. eventually he lets a question slip quietly from his lips, soft and seeking.   
  
"am i your best friend?"   
  
steve glances up at him, brow quirked in surprise.   
  
"yeah, man. you and matt are the best friends i've ever had," he tells him honestly. then he adds, with a charming grin, "i don't just snuggle with _anybody,_ you know."   
  
andrew's expression shows no change in emotion, but the steady elevation of his pulse betrays his increasing suspicion. "do you snuggle with your girlfriend?"   
  
"well, yeah, of course, but she's like... _way bustier_ than you, so it's kinda --"   
  
_"-- different._ yeah, i get it," andrew interjects curtly, not really wanting to talk about samantha's bust or his own lack thereof.   
  
in the tense silence that follows, steve listens to the harsh, jealous pounding of andrew's heart against his ribs, a frown playing on his lips.   
  
"that... that doesn't mean you're not important to me, andrew. you know that, right?"   
  
andrew doesn't respond, gaze instead tracking the camera. the continued nervous thumping in his chest should be enough of an answer. he's insecure; worried that the closeness they share right now might one day slip away, that eventually steve will find someone cooler or stronger or more attractive to lay his ear against, and andrew and his beating heart will fade to background noise. is it silly for him to feel possessive of his friend? protective of their bond? his heart thuds harder, fiercer, and steve spreads his hand in the front of andrew's shirt to cover it, as if he could reach in and scoop it up to calm its fears.   
  
"...you know more about me than her -- probably more than _anyone,_ by now," he reassures him softly. this confession makes andrew's breath catch, his heart jump hopefully from one irregular beat to the next.   
  
_"actually,_ i think i'm probably closer to you than anyone else in the world."   
  
there's not an ounce of irony in his tone, which sounds just as vulnerable as andrew feels. andrew's inclined to always believe that people are lying to him, teasing him, trying to harm him -- but for some reason, here and now with steve lying atop him and baring his rawest feelings to the heart pumping truth into his ear, andrew _believes_ him. he realizes that it’s _his_ heartbeat steve hears in his head when they’re apart, _his_ heartbeat he’s choosing to spend his time listening to now. with all this evidence literally laid out on top of him, there’s no way to deny that they truly share something _special._ andrew swallows the lump forming in his throat, stimulating his heart into a quicker pace that remains even after the rippling motion has run its course.   
  
"i think the same thing about you," he responds in a small, trembling voice, but he knows steve has already figured that out from the butterfly-like fluttering of his heart beneath his ear.   
  
more silence follows, but this time it's a comfortable, natural reprieve in the wake of this confession of their mutual importance to each other. andrew finds himself focusing on all the places their bodies collide again, from the weight of steve's skull on his ribcage to the push-and-pull of their flush abdomens each time they trade inhale for exhale. and though it's hard to detect when his own pulse is throbbing so distinctively, he does manage to single out the steady beat of steve's elusive heart knocking at his ribs, somewhere between the thumping of the organ in his own chest and the resultant jump of his abdominal aorta in the soft centre of his belly. it's a comfort in of itself, a reminder that they _both_ have secrets to share with each other, many of which nobody else will ever hear.   
  
"i really could fall asleep here, you know," steve says after a long while.   
  
andrew scoffs gently. "am i really that good of a pillow?"   
  
"i mean, you're kind of _bony,_ but i don't mind," steve chuckles, nuzzling his face against andrew's chest.   
  
andrew rolls his eyes, letting them fall on the door. he bites his lip with apprehension. "what if your _dad_ walks in?"   
  
with his face still buried into andrew's shirt, steve mumbles, "what's the problem, it's just _guys bein' dudes,_ right?"   
  
"yeah... _just guys being dudes,"_ andrew repeats, unconvinced.   
  
steve lifts his head, then, and amends seriously: _"best_ dudes."   
  
a smile pulls across andrew's lips in spite of himself. _"best dudes."_   
  
steve lays his head back down and smiles when the sound of andrew's heart, finally calm and steady, meets his ear again, and andrew smiles too with the knowledge that each passing beat is something special only he’ll ever hear.


End file.
